Phil Sprinkle, Treasurer Â
BS Electrical Engineering NC State University, MS Management Science Fairleigh Dickinson University
I was raised in North Carolina and early years included a lot of outdoor activities. In 1966 I was drafted into the Army and spent 1967 in Viet Nam. After returning in 1968 I married my wife Billie and entered NC State University on the GI bill. Upon graduation, I was employed as an Army Civilian engineer and Project Manager in several locations in the US and Europe. The majority of my career concerned Army Soldier Training Devices and Systems.
In 1975 the job brought me to the Army’s PM for Training Devices in Orlando, FL, where I was able to take advantage of the state’s outdoor lifestyle. From 1977-1991, with two friends, I spent a week, boat camping on 14 different Florida rivers, from the Everglades to the Panhandle. This experience provided me with an appreciation and first-hand knowledge how beautiful some Florida rivers were… and how they could be destroyed by damming, dredging, straightening, and other man-made activities. My first look at the Withlacoochee River was in 1981, when we camped and explored the lower river, and in 1988 when we camped and explored the upper Withlacoochee River.
After retirement in 2000, I remembered the Withlacoochee River and we moved to Inglis. I became a volunteer Inglis Firefighter, was certified, and served the Fire Department in all capacities for 18 years. We still enjoy the watching the river flow by our home and River activities but are dismayed with the degradation and increased bottom muck over the years. Thankfully, WAR is focusing attention and trying to bring our river back to its natural beauty.